Health
Mumbai man 1st confirmed case of Omicron in Maharashtra, 4th in India
?A 33-year-old resident of Kalyan-Dombivali in Mumbai, Maharashtra tested positive for new COVID-19 variant ‘Omicron’ after returning from South Africa, which is one of the ‘high-risk’ countries. He became the first confirmed case of the new variant in Maharashtra and fourth in India.
As per PTI, the 33-year-old arrived in Delhi on November 23 and gave his samples for COVID-19 testing at the Delhi airport. He then took a flight to Mumbai.
A man from Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation area has tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19. He is the first official case in the state. He came with a group of four people. We are tracing and tracking them. Their RT-PCR test as well as genome sequencing will be done as well, Maharashtra Health Department Director Dr Archana Patil told PTI.
He had tested negative in an RT-PCR test, which was conducted 72 hours prior to his inter-connected flights from Cape Town to Mumbai. Post landing at Delhi airport, an RT-PCR test was conducted but even before receiving the result, he was allowed to fly to Mumbai.
Post landing in Mumbai, he received his RT-PCR report, which showed the presence of the pathogens of COVID-19. However, he showed his previous negative RT-PCR test report to the screening official at Mumbai airport.
The infected man then took a private cab from the airport and travelled 50 km to reach his house in Dombivli.
COVID-19
Thane Municipal Corporation adds 25 beds as COVID cases rise
Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) added 25 additional beds in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital Kalwa apart from arranging a special ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients. The total number of active patients in the city stood at 252 while five succumbed to the virus. Meanwhile, TMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said a ‘death audit’ of patients who died of COVID would be conducted. The TMC has ensured it has additional stock of oxygen concentrators, testing kits, medicines, to name a few. Bangar told HT, “Due to the increasing number of Covid patients, it is necessary for everyone to be alert.”
He added, The number of Covid tests should be increased to stay one step ahead of the disease. As a result, the number of patients is likely to increase due to increased testing. However, as per the ‘test, isolate, treat’ protocol for Covid, it becomes necessary to isolate and treat more and more patients. The testing centres will not remain closed even for a single day. At the same time, more arrangements for testing will be made immediately in public places, markets, railway stations, malls.”
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
Also read: Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
Politics
After Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, his namesake who contested from Wayanad disqualified

Rahul Gandhi
An independent candidate for Lok Sabha elections named Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from contesting polls for failing to lodge account of election expenses. Gandhi, who’s name figures as ‘Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma’ in an Election Commission list of persons, had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent and had received 2196 votes from the Wayanad seat in Kerala – a constituency from where ex-Congress MP Rahul Rajiv Gandhi had won with over seven lakh votes.
However, since it is mandatory for all contestants to submit their account of election expenses among other mandatory requirements under EC rules and the Representation of the People Act.
Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma stood disqualified to contest polls from September 13, 2021 till September 13, 2024. According to Section 10A, the Election Commission can disqualify a contestant for a period of three years from the date of the order if he/she has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required by law and has no good reason or justification for the failure.
Also read: ‘CBI under UPA govt. pressurised me to frame Modi,’ recalls Amit Shah
Nagpur News
Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
A total of 22 patients tested positive for COVID-19 in Nagpur in past 24 hours on Thursday. Almost 242 people were tested in the city, out of which 15 belonged to urban area while and 6 were from the rural areas, and one from outside Nagpur district.
At present, there are 72 active patients in the city. Three new cases of the new XBB.1.16 variant of COVID-19 were detected that took the total tally to five in the district.
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
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